Certain semiconductor devices are known to generate excess heat during operation. This is especially true for power semiconductor devices, which are commonly utilized as switches or rectifiers in high-power electric circuits. Power inverters, for example, are used in electric and hybrid electric vehicles to provide three phase operating power to the electric drive motor of the vehicle. Power inverters and other such devices must typically be cooled to ensure proper functioning. For this reason, the power modules that house such power devices are often provided with some form of cooling system. For example, conventional cooling systems commonly employ a cold plate (e.g., a heat sink) to transfer heat away from the power device. The heat sink may comprise a metal body (e.g., aluminum, copper, etc.) having a flat surface and a plurality of projections (“pin-fins”) extending away therefrom. The flat surface of the heat sink is placed in thermal contact with the power device (e.g., soldered to a substrate supporting the power device), and the pin-fins are exposed to a cooling source, typically air or a coolant fluid (e.g., glycol water). One liquid cooling system utilizes a pump to circulate coolant fluid over and onto the top portion of power device. During device operation, heat is conducted away from the power device and into the pin-fins, which are convectively cooled by the cooling source.
Conventional semiconductor devices may not achieve optimal cooling in the cooling systems described above. Typically, much of the heat of the semiconductor devices is generated by the semiconductor component itself. In an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) device that is utilized as a power device, the transistor may generate most of the heat in the device (e.g., switching and conduction losses). In such a device, however, the transistor may not be effectively cooled by the liquid coolant because the liquid coolant must conduct heat away from the device through a number of intervening layers positioned over the transistor, for example, interconnects and insulating layers.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a semiconductor device that enables more efficient cooling with a liquid cooling system. Moreover, it is also desirable to provide a semiconductor module that includes a semiconductor device and a liquid cooling system that effectively cools the semiconductor device. In addition, it is desirable to provide a method of cooling a semiconductor device with a liquid cooling system that is more efficient than conventional methods. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.